The long-term goal of the center is to enhance and expand the capacity of UF faculty to conduct research on the health and effective functioning of older rural populations. For Years 04 and 05, the specific aims of the center will remain relatively unchanged from the original submission: (1) To conduct a series of small scale studies that improve our understanding of the special needs and life circumstances of rural elders and that serve as the foundation for future research and funding efforts; (2) To stimulate new research focused on aging in small towns and rural communities and to involve an increased number and variety of UF faculty in research on the health of rural elders; and (3) To continue to refine a long-range research agenda for the University of Florida concentrated on the health and effective functioning of older persons living in rural and sparsely populated environments. To achieve these goals, the UF will build on the successful first two years of operation of the center. In Year 04 of the center, four new small scale studies will be initiated, bringing the number of projects funded by the exploratory center to a total of seventeen. In addition, the center will continue to explore additional external funding opportunities for its research agenda. In the first two years of the center, UF faculty working in conjunction with the Center on Rural Health and Aging have acquired $4.85 million dollars in external support beyond that which was provided by the exploratory center grant (these four additional rural health and aging research projects have been funded by the NCNR, NIDR, NlA, and the Office of Rural Health Policy [HRSA]).